Woodway Desmo Elite Treadmill Review

TREADMILL DOCTOR NOTE :

The fantastic Desmo model with a touch screen interface. Personally, I would give the screen a year or two to season since it is a new animal for Woodway but if you have $12k, you probably have the money to toss at it if the screen has problems.

MSRP:

$12,345.00

Walking Area

10

Power

7.2

Cushioning

10

Reliability

8.2

Noise Level

10

Quality

7.2

Value

4.2

Warranty

8

Overall Rating: 7.57

Love the touch screen looks and functionality. Not sure about its long-term prospects but with all that said, the fit and finish is far better than in the past and the famous drive system is working like a finely tuned clock on this one.

General Information

Woodway has an interesting history and an even more interesting design. There is no belt and deck like you would find on other treadmills. They combined the two into one unit and so the belt moves around the machine in slats that are joined together and bend around the corners like a tank track. If you want a treadmill that will be the last one you buy, this could easily be it in home use.

Quality / Philosophy

Here's the interesting part. The design is so good that with our 400 lb. test, the treadmill never pulled more electricity than what other treadmills pull without a person on them. That means very little strain?ever?on the drive system. Woodway put a great deal of effort these past few years into their fit and finish and it was a HUGE help! The new models we just looked at are really well done. Although they are still a relatively small factory due to the price point (how many $12,000 treadmills can anyone sell?) they no longer look like they were built in someone's basement.

Outlook

Woodway has an interesting business. To government institutions, pro teams and athletes, and universities, Woodway is a dream. As long as they can get the budget, they get a treadmill with a unique design. Their popularity, according to the company, in the home market is growing by leaps and bounds. We would still like to see Woodway put about $50 more into the drive system but when you only charge $12,000 for your top model, you have to watch your nickels.